Balsamorhiza (sagittata)
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Kimberlee Chambers (research conducted at University of Victoria and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, BC) Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden University of California Davis (current), One Shields Ave., Geography Graduate Group, Dept Environmental Design Davis, California 95616 kimberlee_chambers@yahoo.ca www.rsabg.org |
| Family Scientific Name: | Asteraceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Sunflower family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh) Nutt. | ||
| Common Name: | Arrow-leaf balsamroot, spring sunflower, arrow-leaved balsamroot | ||
| Ecotype: | Open grassy slopes and dry forests | ||
| General Distribution: | Occurring along the east side of the Cascades from central British Columbia south to California and east through Nevada, to Colorado, the Black Hills of South Dakota and, southern Saskatchewan. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 5 Months | ||
| Target Specifications: | Increase seed germination rate and establish seedlings for transplanting to field locations. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | A strict seed collection mandate of removing less than 5% of a population in each collection area was followed. Seed was hand harvested in five separate locations. Because of possible variation in seed due to elevation and geographical differences, harvesting was very site specific: geographical locations similar to each other and to the field-transplanting site were selected. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Shortly after harvesting seed was manually cleaned of chaff and combined. Achenes that released from dried seed heads with little or no manual stimulation were determined to be mature and were used in experiments. The cleaned seeds were kept in paper bags in a dry well ventilated room (approximately five months). We determined 90,000 seeds/kg for this ecotype. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: |
Preliminary trials by Young and Evans (1979) determined that seeds of balsamroot are dormant and that this dormancy is not broken with dry storage. Research by Kitchen and Monsen (1996) indicates that seed dormancy in balsamroot prevents summer or fall germination. Experiments were conducted to test the effects of stratification and ethylene treatments on seed germination. The first experiment was conducted in planting trays, which were circular, approximately 3 cm deep and 23 cm in diameter, and with holes in the bottom for drainage. Eight trays were filled with moistened peat-based potting medium (Sunshine mix, by Sun Gro Horticulture). Fifty seeds were sown, evenly distributed in grooves on the surface soil and covered with a light dusting of medium. Four of the trays were treated with Ethrel ethephon prepared at 10 ml to 14.4 L water solution and applied to saturation. The other 4 trays were treated with water only. All 8 trays were sealed in individual polyethylene bags and placed in a 0øC walk-in cooler until they began to germinate. In another experiment, treatments were with and without chilling and freezing before ethylene and stratification treatment. The chilling and freezing treatment consisted of placing the seeds for 2 days in a 4øC fridge and 7 days in a -16øC freezer. Four 50-seed samples of each with and without the chilling and freezing treatment were each placed on generic paper towels soaked in ethylene (at a 10 ml to 14.4 L water solution), rolled, put in a self-sealing plastic bags and placed in a 0øC cooler until they began to germinate. All germination experiments were conducted in the dark. In order to minimize damage to the seedlings emerging during stratification, the flats and bags were monitored daily for germinating seed and these were sown every few days. Seeds were considered to be germinated when the radicles and cotyledons became visible. Total germination of arrow-leaved balsamroot seed for all treatments averaged 18 %. The ethylene-treated seed sown into Sunshine Mix had the greatest percent germination, at 28 %, whereas germination was only 2.5 % for the seeds not treated with ethylene. Ethylene-treated seed germinated on paper towel averaged 25 % germination. Ethylene-treated seeds that were first cooled and frozen germinated on paper towels at 21 %. |
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| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
As seeds germinated, they were planted into sterilized polystyrene (105 ml volume 4 x 15 cm) trays containing a medium consisting of a ratio of one litre of Sunshine mix, one litre of screened river sand, and 0.5 litres of extra perlite. Approximately 4 grams of ground limestone per litre of mix was added to bring the pH up to approximately 7.0. The mixture approximated the pH and texture of soil samples taken from the seed collection locations. All seedlings were transferred to the greenhouse as soon as they were transplanted from the flats and paper towels. Seeds were also sown directly into a field site.The site was chosen for characteristics similar to those of natural balsamroot habitats: sloped with southern aspect; natural substrate that had not been tilled; and, successful sagebrush habitat. An area measuring 10 m x 5 m was cleared of vegetation. Four trenches were dug approximately 5 cm wide in each of the plots to be direct seeded. Two hundred seeds (2.3 g total) were sown evenly in the 4 trenches (October 1999). The following spring the direct seeded seeds had an average germination of 13 %. |
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| Establishment Phase: |
The seeds that were stratified in the cooler developed a fine hair-like mold that may have resulted in reduced germination rates. The mold-infected seeds, however, still were capable of germination. Other growers have communicated that seed germination experimentation of balsamroot in growth chambers failed because of mold. A problem with the use of paper towels is that emerging radicles and root hairs may become embedded in the paper substrate and removal can cause root damage (Hendry and Grime 1993). In order to reduce this concern newly germinated seedlings should be transplanted as soon as they emerge. |
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| Length of Establishment Phase: | The first seeds began to germinate 45 days after stratification treatments began. | ||
| Active Growth Phase: | The seedlings in the greenhouse were attacked by aphids, fungus knats, and some seedlings leaves exhibited nutrient deficiency or chlorosis. | ||
| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 3 - 4 months | ||
| Hardening Phase: | In early May seedlings were removed from the greenhouse and placed in cold frames for acclimation before transplanting at the end of May. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 1 month | ||
| References: |
Baskin CC and Baskin JM. 1998. Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination. San Diego (CA): Academic Press. 666 p. Chambers KJ, Small E, Catling PM, Turner NJ, Bowen P and Keller CP. 2002. Poorly Known Economic Plants of Canada - 35. Arrow-leaved balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh.) Nutt. Canadian Botanical Association, Bulletin 35(4): 40-45. Feghahati JSM and Reese RN. 1994. Ethylene-, light-, and prechill-enhanced germination of Echinacea angustifolia seeds. Journal of the American Society for Horticulture Science 119(4): 853-858. Hendry GAF and Grime JP. 1993. Methods in Comparative Plant Ecology: A Laboratory Manual. Chapman and Hall, London, UK. 252 p. Kitchen SG and Monsen SB. 1996. Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) seed germination and established success (Utah). Restoration and Management Notes 14(2):180-181. Kruckerberg AR. 1982. Gardening With Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle. 252 p. Redente EF, Ogle PR and Hargis NE. 1982. Growing Colorado Plants from Seed. A State of the Art. Vol III: Forbs. Washinton, DC: Fish and Wildlife Service FWS/OBS-82/30, United States Department of the Interior.113 p. Rose R, Chachulski CEC and Haase DL. 1998. Propagation of Pacific Northwest Native Plants. Corvallis (OR): Oregon State University Press. 248 p. Vrijmoed P. 1999. Collection, propagation and use of native plants. In: Landis TD and Barnett JP, technical coordinators. National proceedings: Forest and Conservation Nursery Associations-1988. General Technical Report SRS-25. Asherville (NC): United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. p 156-159. Wasser, CH. 1982. Ecology and culture of selected species useful in revegetating disturbed lands in the West. FWS/OBS-82/56. Washington (DC): United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services, Western Energy and Land Use Team. Young JA, Budy JD and Evans RA. 1984. Germination of seeds of wildland plants. In: Conference proceedings, the challenge of producing native plants for the intermountain area, Intermountain Nurseryman's Association; 1983 Aug 8-11; Las Vegas, NV. Ogden (UT): General Technical Report INT 168, United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. Young JA and Evans RA. 1979. Arrowleaf balsamroot and mules ear seed germination. J. Range Manage 32(1):71-74. |
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Citation:
Bowen, Pat; Chambers, Kimberlee J; Turner, Nancy J; Keller, Peter C. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh) Nutt. plants Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden Davis, California. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/05/19). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
